Two Confess In One Fake Cop Incident; Others Investigated

(June 16, 2014) Authorities in San Saba and Hamilton Counties are investigating incidents in which men impersonating law enforcement officers pulled drivers over and in one case, authorities say they obtained confessions Monday.

Two men whom investigators questioned Monday confessed to an incident that was reported at around 11 p.m. on Saturday on County Road 406 in San Saba County, authorities said.

The victim told deputies that an older model Ford Crown Victoria with a red and blue LED light bar in the windshield pulled in behind him and activated the lights, Sheriff Stephen L. Boyd said.

The victim, believing it was a police officer, stopped his car.

The man was wearing a baseball cap, with the word "POLICE" on it, Boyd said.

The fake cop, who identified himself to the victim as officer Watson, also had a thin beard.

The two men who confessed Monday told investigators they were just having fun when the pulled the car over.

Deputies planned to interview a third man in connection with the Saturday incident as well and authorities say they will seek arrest warrants for all three of the suspects.

They said they don’t believe the men pose a continuing threat to the public.

The three men haven’t been linked to another incident in Hamilton County in which a driver was assaulted and robbed.

At around 4:15 a.m. on Friday deputies responded to a report that a man driving a Ford Crown Victoria with flashing red and blue lights in the grill and on the dash pulled the victim over on U.S. Highway 281 south of Hamilton, Sheriff Gregg Bewley said.

The victim, a Joshua man, told deputies that as he pulled over he heard a man using a public address system to order him to step out of his vehicle, Bewley said.

As the victim walked to the rear of his vehicle, he was attacked from behind and knocked to the ground, which left him unconscious, Bewley said.

When he regained consciousness he found that his wallet had been removed from his pocket and all the cash that was inside had been taken, Bewley said.

Deputies requested paramedics, but the victim refused treatment.

Authorities advise residents who find themselves in similar situations not to stop, but instead to activate flashing hazard lights, pull to the side of the road and to continue to drive slowly while calling 911 to report their location and provide a description of the vehicle whose driver is attempting to pull them over.

Investigators are urging residents with information about the incidents to call the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office at (254) 386-8128 or the San Saba County Sheriff’s Office at (325) 371-5551.

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